Up the Creek with a Paddlehttps://utcwithapaddle.com
A Lifestyle BlogSun, 16 Dec 2018 05:04:13 +0000en-UShourly1https://wordpress.org/?v=5.0.1https://utcwithapaddle.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/cropped-DSC_0148-32x32.jpgUp the Creek with a Paddlehttps://utcwithapaddle.com
3232Red Rock Canyon National Park Triphttps://utcwithapaddle.com/2018/12/16/red-rock-canyon-national-park-trip/
https://utcwithapaddle.com/2018/12/16/red-rock-canyon-national-park-trip/#respondSun, 16 Dec 2018 05:00:28 +0000https://utcwithapaddle.com/?p=841On December 4, I visited Red Rock Canyon National Park on my last full day in Las Vegas. As it was only 30-minutes from Nellis AFB, it was the closest place I found to get into the mountains and see a canyon.

I’d heard wonderful things about the park so my daughter, Lauren, and I chose to spend a few hours climbing rocks and experiencing one of the many wonders of God’s creation. This turned out to be a wonderful choice.

One thing about being in a valley: you are surrounded by 360-degrees of mountain scape. Being a mountain girl myself (though used to heights with vegetation as in The Blue Ridge) I was thrilled to see mountains every time I turned a corner in Vegas. I learned that the mountains could completely change appearance depending on the amount and angle of sunlight at any given time. Lucky for me and Lauren, it was a sunny day with drifting clouds when we entered Red Rock Canyon.

(place info here after doing a little research on the park)

Signs at the entry to the park encouraged visitors to save time and ask questions at The Visitor Center and we followed that advice. Center docents were knowledgeable and enthusiastic about the park. A volunteer at the information desk told us how to take advantage of the shorter and easier treks that would give us maximum views and experiences in a shorter time (I wanted to get back to spend time with my granddaughter on my last day in Nevada before returning to Virginia).

Lucky us, there was a gentleman at the park’s information center who grew up at the mining camp which was one of the first communities in Red Rock. He told us the story of his two-year-old sister who fell down a canyon wall 70+ years earlier and managed to survive. This added a nice, personal touch to our visit after viewing the gallery of natural flora and fauna we could experience once we were on our way.

At our docent’s suggestion, we stopped at Calico 1, the first stop around the park. Lauren and I took the short trek down the right side of the parking lot — an easy walk which turned into a moderate climb down into the canyon. I made my way down a few hundred feet to experience the view up the canyon wall and south to the open valley in the distance. I took the risk and climbed down taking care of the scrabble of tiny rocks that could cause a nasty fall. The view from that perspective was worth the strenuous climb back up to the parking lot. The photo ops on this trek were incredible. I loved the stack rock formations visitors placed along the trail. They made for neat perspective shots.

From there we stopped at the 4771-foot elevation of HighPoint Overlook with amazing views of Turtlehead Peak and the entire valley to the south. The vegetation at that elevation was unique and new to me.

Our next stop — after several hairpin and hair-raising turns along steep dropoffs – was The Petroglyph Wall Trail. The trail head was hard to find as we knew it was near the Willow Spring Picnic Area but could not see its three-by-four-inch trail head sign. A friendly park employee pointed us to it across the parking lot that lead to the cave drawings. He also pointed out that the drawings were located where the signs of water falling from the cliff were located.

I asked Lauren, “Why am I ridiculously excited about seeing these drawings?” After viewing the estimated 800-year-old etchings, Lauren commented that these pictures were probably created by the village idiot and we were all standing around saying, oh, wow!” Too funny and possibly true!

We decided to cut out one of the docent-suggested stops to make our final stop at Pine Creek Canyon. I was excited about this stop as there were multiple trails and an abandoned homestead site in addition to a stand of Ponderosa Pine and Joshua Trees where a prescribed (controlled-burn) fire took place. The wind was strong in that area and though the walk up to where multiple trails branch was easy, we were both cold, tired and hungry by the time we got there. I pushed on a little bit and stepping off the trail to pick up a sandstone rock, I stepped back and was stung. I screamed as the pain caused by whatever got me was sharp and excruciating. I turned around to find I was “stung” by a prickly pear cactus with about one-inch spines. I could not believe how rigid the spines were and am lucky the spine did not stay in my leg just behind the knee.After a few steps, I reached down to find the injured spot was swollen about an inch. I stopped a party of serious-looking hikers and asked if they knew if any of the cacti in the area were poisonous. Lauren laughed at me later, but we were in a desert area with no cell service. I was not prepared to die from a misstep!

We finally wound our way back out of the park, happy we visited and looking forward to another visit in the near future. I plan to take Keith there when I return to Las Vegas in a few months.

Yesterday, I spent a good part of the day on The Las Vegas Strip with my daughter, Lauren. My first visit in May 2018 gave me enough bearings to show her some of the highlights. Lucky for us, she has an M Life reward card that provides free parking at any MGM-related facility, so we headed to the MGM Grand Hotel and Casino’s self-parking garage off of Tropicana Avenue which put us at a great starting point.

Our first destination was Hexx Bar + Kitchen for brunch. I was there in May and knew they served bottomless Mimosas and incredible carrot cake pancakes with cream cheese icing. After our 20-minute walk to make it for our 10:00 a.m. reservation we were ready to relax on their patio right on the Strip.

One of the best attractions at this location for me are the Bellagio Fountains. We were treated to Celine Dion and Andrea Bocelli songs as the fountain show ran at 11:00. I don’t remember seeing the water shoot above the mid-tower of the hotel when I was there in May. Spectacular!

After brunch we headed to The Grand Canal Shoppes at The Venetian, watched the gondoliers – one of which
was singing a romantic song accompanied by hip swiveling (reminded me of the Elvis impersonator in a wheelchair who passed us at brunch). We checked out a few shops and meandered our way back outside.

Lauren vamping in front of The Mirage’s volcano on the strip

We took an overpass to stroll by The Mirage, Caesar’s Palace and my favorite destination, The Bellagio Conservatory. My aim was to show her the gorgeous Japanese-inspired Spring Garden they featured in May. When we turned the corner from the casino, I was amazed to see their was a new installation.

A winter wonderland complete with a snow Queen, frolicking polar bears, a four-horse drawn carriage and of course, a floor-to-ceiling Christmas tree. What a way to start the holiday season as it was December 1st. YouTube video of garden

My next stopping point was supposed to be The Chandelier Bar at New York New York Casino and Hotel. Got that one wrong! The bar is in The Cosmopolitan so we missed it and were too lazy to walk back another 20 minutes as our feet were blistering at this point. We continued from New York New York to our final new hotel and casino for both of us – The Luxor.

Luxor Lobby

This was one of the stops I regretted missing on my previous trip. At the hotel’s Centra bar in the middle of the casino, we had a mother-and-daughter heart-to-heart which did my heart good. Both of us enjoyed the time off our feet.

We wound our way – with several switchbacks through the connected casinos’ indoor shopping malls and crossed over Las Vegas Boulevard to try out hand at the slot machines in the MGM. We both “won” and only lost two dollars.

The best thing about this excursion was one-on-one time with my daughter, Lauren. I loved having the opportunity to be with her on an adventure before heading back to Virginia. The extra and less important part of this trip was checking off more destinations on the Las Vegas Strip. Can’t wait to visit Lauren and he family again at such a rarefied spot. Next time, I would love to go with her whole family and experience our granddaughter enjoying the sights and sounds of Vegas, baby!

This week I am spending time with my daughter, son-in-law and granddaughter who have been transferred to Nellis Air Force Base. I’m sad to see them go, but the base is only 18 miles north of the Vegas Strip. Lucky me!

Tonight we all headed to The Fremont Street Experience to see the shark aquarium at the Golden Nugget Casino, the Vegas Vic, the neon cowboy on the Pioneer Club, people flying under the Fremont Street light show video ceiling, The Neon Museum, Container Park and most important to my granddaughter, AJ, the metal sculpture of a praying mantis in front of the park.

I have been talking up the praying mantis to my granddaughter for at least a month. I saw it back in May and when I found the family was moving to Nellis, I couldn’t wait to take her to see it. I told her it was a grasshopper for weeks until I looked up the photo and my husband, Keith, pointed out it was a praying mantis. Duh! AJ continues to call it a grasshopper and I decided to consider this the name of the praying mantis.

One of the first things we saw on Fremont Street was the praying mantis in daylight. There were a few lights on its antennae and it looked cool. After visiting several shops in Container Park and heading down Fremont to see the shark aquarium inside the Golden Nugget casino’s pool, watch people “flying” and wondering what AJ thought of some of the wacky things we saw, we stopped for dinner La Comida Mexican Restaurant on South 6th Street.

La Camida, with a neon dancing monkey on its marquee, proved to be an authentic Mexican restaurant with great margaritas I had Pollo al Guajillo (chicken tacos) and everyone else had the same, carnitas tacos or shrimp tacos. The corn tortillas were soft and served with family-style refillable plates of rice and beans. We all enjoyed our food and the service was friendly and excellent.

The sun went down while we ate and that was perfect. When we headed back to the car, the praying mantis was completely lit up and the antennae were shooting fire. The look on AJ’s face was priceless! All the way home she kept repeating, “fire antennas”.

After the praying mantis, we drove to The Neon Museum only to find out it’s a good idea to make a reservation and after 4:00 p.m. the adult tour price jumps from $20 to $28. Plus, you have to commit to a one-hour tour. This was way too much to risk taking a two-year-old who was completely exhausted by that point. You can visit between 9:00 a.m. and 4:00 p.m. for a half-hour $20 tour. Yes, I know the signs are much cooler after dark, but I think I would prefer the daytime tour.

Tomorrow I am taking my daughter, Lauren, to the strip to give her a mini tour of things I loved on my first visit in May. Can’t wait!

]]>https://utcwithapaddle.com/2018/12/01/visiting-the-grasshopper-praying-mantis-in-vegas/feed/0Apollo 11 Lunar Capsule at Pittsburgh’s John Heinz History Centerhttps://utcwithapaddle.com/2018/10/19/apollo-11-lunar-capsule-at-pittsburghs-john-heinz-history-center/
https://utcwithapaddle.com/2018/10/19/apollo-11-lunar-capsule-at-pittsburghs-john-heinz-history-center/#commentsFri, 19 Oct 2018 17:07:26 +0000https://utcwithapaddle.com/?p=743On October 14, 2018, we visited the John Heinz History Center in Pittsburgh, PA…main goal? To see The Smithsonian’s traveling exhibit, “Destination Moon: The Apollo 11 Mission”. I instigated this visit for my husband, Keith’s, sake, but thoroughly enjoyed the exhibit and the other parts of the museum we were able to experience.

If you have time to check this traveling exhibit out, I highly recommend it. One of the Heinz Museum curators told me this would be the closest visitors will be able to get to the capsule because upon return to its home installation in DC, it will be placed at the angle of entry and back in a glass enclosure much farther from guests. If my arm were a foot longer and I stood on tiptoe, I could have touched it during this visit. I would not have (probably) but it was so close!

I was surprised to come to tears when I turned the corner and saw the Apollo 11 capsule. I remember seeing the live coverage on television when I was ten-years-old and getting to stay up late on a school night to watch our first steps on another planet. How cool is that?!

Apollo 11 Lunar Capsule in the “flesh

Keith checking out the details in front of the Apollo 11 lunar capsule!

]]>https://utcwithapaddle.com/2018/10/19/apollo-11-lunar-capsule-at-pittsburghs-john-heinz-history-center/feed/6Fall Walks — All the Feelshttps://utcwithapaddle.com/2018/10/11/fall-walk-all-the-feels/
https://utcwithapaddle.com/2018/10/11/fall-walk-all-the-feels/#commentsThu, 11 Oct 2018 16:28:16 +0000https://utcwithapaddle.com/?p=732I love fall as it is called in my area of the world — autumn for others. It’s my favorite season with cooling temperatures, reduced humidity, all things from the harvest to eat including pumpkins, apples, butternut squash and more. I love the smell of smoke from fireplace conflagrations, snuggly sweaters, fuzzy socks, hot tea added to my coffee routine, professional football games, Halloween, Thanksgiving and more.

One of my favorite things about fall is the ability to walk my pups without coming home sweat-drenched. This year, it is still hot in eastern Virginia, but the cool breezes help make up for it.

Besides the exercise my dogs and I get from the walks, I enjoy crunching leaves and acorn caps underfoot. I love the sound and the “feels” of the crunchiness underfoot.

Brittle, glass-breaking-like frizzle

Some leaves have a loud, satisfying crunch; some emit a brittle, glass-breaking-like frizzle; and some are too wet to crunch leading to an out-of-balance disappointment on my part. The pretty ones? I take them home to place in a bowl until they fade.

When the days have been dry, the leaf crunching is at its finest and the acorn caps are fun too. The bigger the caps the better.

Of course, there are drawbacks to this activity. Personally — miss-stepping when I try to match my pace to land a foot on an upcoming crunchy object. Another drawback, unless you think I don’t realize it, this makes for messier cleanup for the homeowner’s road front. I know this, but still cannot help myself.

On a different note: aren’t the trees gorgeous as they change colors? If you don’t live in a climate where they do, I highly recommend visiting New England in the US during leaf-changing time around the October/November timeframe!

What are your favorite things about fall? Please share in the comments below so we can all have new ideas to maximize this season’s enjoyment.

Happy Fall,

Cathy

]]>https://utcwithapaddle.com/2018/10/11/fall-walk-all-the-feels/feed/2Dealing with Pain vs. Sufferinghttps://utcwithapaddle.com/2018/10/06/dealing-with-pain-vs-suffering/
https://utcwithapaddle.com/2018/10/06/dealing-with-pain-vs-suffering/#commentsSat, 06 Oct 2018 15:16:38 +0000https://utcwithapaddle.com/?p=729At 59, I am under less stress than I’ve been in a long time…well, I should be. I have three grown daughters, a two-year-old granddaughter who is the light of my life, an amazing husband, a son-in-law, a son-in-love, a great church, wonderful friends, two dogs, three Glofish (look them up, the perfect fish for a writer’s desk as they look like they are colored with highlighters), and foster pups flowing through our home. In addition to creating and maintaining this blog, I am a freelance writer/photographer. I’ve even pared this work to one publication, http://oysterpointer.net/author/cathywelch/ and one fantastic editor.

I’ve gone from raising three children, working full-time, singing in a trio, etc., and now I’m more stressed than ever.

BUT… I heard something the other day that changed my perspective on things. I happened upon an email about a free webinar entitled, “How to Survive & Succeed as a Writer: Without Breaking Your Heart or Losing Your Mind” by Gabriela Pereira the creator of “DIY MFA”. I’ve heard about this book/course and have been following Gabriela for years. I’ve written several novels and pieces of novels for National Novel Writing Month www.nanowrimo.org and have a dream of finishing a book one day. So, Gabriela’s been on my radar for a long time.

The webinar offered a measured and well-thought-out process for staying on track, completing your goals and surviving as a writer…whether it’s your day job or a hobby. But one slide grabbed my attention and I cannot get it out of my mind. It was entitled: Pain vs. Suffering. The analogy she used for these diametrically opposed states of being was unique:

Suppose you are late for a meeting and you are stuck in a stalled subway train. You are stuck, no doubt about it. That’s pain. The suffering comes when you start trying to contact the people you are supposed to meet and conjure up all the scenarios of failure, disappointment, anger, etc. that will be produced by your tardiness — any possible thing that your mind can come up with to derail you from a calm/productive state. The pain is objective. There’s nothing you can do about it. The suffering is subjective – you choose to react or let something knock you out of a conscious state of peace and productivity.

Ever since I heard this analogy, I have been applying it to multiple situations. I heard something on television about a political issue and began to wonder if we were heading for World War 3. I had a technical issue with this blog site and began to be frantic about getting a photo up for a Facebook page I participate in. Instead, I took a few minutes to breath deeply and reach out to an expert on the subject. I was upset about a personal situation and realized there wasn’t a thing I could do about it. I prayed over the situation instead.

I am working on the habit of quickly realizing what things I can affect and what things I can’t. If I can’t affect it directly, I can pray about it and let it go. If I can do something about it and it is appropriate, I make a plan or just do it. These strategies are my goal.

At this stage in my life, I am more content and centered than I’ve ever been. I enjoy being my authentic self and living life to the fullest. I’ve read a lot about stress and hormonal changes that probably explain a lot about how I’ve been feeling lately – squeezed, overwhelmed, feeling less-than and more. I am realizing that I must do more now to remain balanced, happy and productive than ever before. I am blessed to be a follower of Jesus and know that he is there and helps me every second of every day. That comfort is first and foremost. But I also have other outlets that help me in daily life: yoga, mindfulness practice, a wonderful family and more. Puppies – they are such a stress reliever too.

Readers,

What do you do to alleviate stress/suffering? Do any of you in your mid- to late-life have techniques that work better at this stage? If so, please share in the comments. We’d love to hear from you.

]]>https://utcwithapaddle.com/2018/10/06/dealing-with-pain-vs-suffering/feed/2Chief Finds His Forever Home and We Will Be at a Losshttps://utcwithapaddle.com/2018/09/27/chief-finds-his-forever-home-and-we-will-be-at-a-loss/
https://utcwithapaddle.com/2018/09/27/chief-finds-his-forever-home-and-we-will-be-at-a-loss/#commentsThu, 27 Sep 2018 16:53:12 +0000https://utcwithapaddle.com/?p=725We are on the cusp of another foster pup heading to their loving forever home. I’m so thrilled for Chief and so sad he is leaving us.

Chief has been with us for three-and-a-half months…longest foster to date. This is going to be a hard one. We are used to a foster pup(or three) for a few weeks at most – even then it is hard to lose them. Our loss, but their gain.

Chief has been here long enough to feel like our own. He is a perfect fit for our two dogs. Don’t get me wrong: this boy came to us as a fear-ridden, submissive-peeing-marker with trust issues and poor health. He had Lyme disease, Ehrlichia and heartworm when we welcomed him into our home. The first two ailments were cured with antibiotics, but the heartworm had to be treated aggressively. This meant two shots near the spine 24-hours apart and five weeks of no excitement. Ha! There was no keeping this pup calm with Tucker, our two-year-old, 80-lb. goofus and squirrels for Chief to pursue. But…Chief did great with his healing.

Now, clear of all ailments (except heartworm tests must be done monthly) Chief is going to a wonderful family with two children, ages eight and two. What a lucky boy! I am so sad for us, but so happy for this little one we helped find his Happily-Ever-After!

But, this is why we and all other fosters do what we do. We are a waystation. A loving, caring, nurturing, training, patient (mostly) and safe place for these creatures to learn how to be in a home, to be loved, to be great pets and to move on to bless someone else’s life.

The rescue we work with, https://4pawz.org/ is the best! Our fosters are vetted as well as our adopters. No pup or cat goes to a home without a home check and thorough review. I am so happy and proud to work with 4 Paws Animal Rescue and look forward to taking in, caring for and training more of God’s creatures.

]]>https://utcwithapaddle.com/2018/09/27/chief-finds-his-forever-home-and-we-will-be-at-a-loss/feed/2Getting Around in the San Francisco Bay Areahttps://utcwithapaddle.com/2018/09/16/getting-around-in-the-san-francisco-bay-area/
https://utcwithapaddle.com/2018/09/16/getting-around-in-the-san-francisco-bay-area/#respondSun, 16 Sep 2018 00:22:05 +0000https://utcwithapaddle.com/?p=628In August 2018 I visited the San Francisco Bay Area for the third time. As this does not make me an expert in getting around the area, I feel qualified to share the lessons I learned. I’m a big proponent of public transportation whether it be a subway system, train or bus. I love to leave the driving to someone else, which is why I also make use of Uber. A rental car is also a great choice if parking is available and affordable.

San Francisco Bay Area by Car

If you’re flying into San Francisco International Airport, getting to the Hertz rental car center https://www.hertz.com/rentacar/location/unitedstates/california/sanfrancisco/SFOT15 involves escalators and the BART subway system and is easy to find. My husband, Keith, and I use Hertz Rental Car and have always had a good experience with them. The first time we rented one of their cars the line was long and when it was our turn to choose our ride, the rental agent was accommodating enough to give us the white convertible Mustang that I jokingly suggested! Ask and ye shall receive, I guess.

This year, we went for a Volkswagen SUV as we arrived in late afternoon and they were waiting for a number of cars which were due shortly. While the SUV wasn’t nearly as exciting as the convertible, I was glad we chose it as it came in handy later that week when I had a fender bender and ended up on a scary drive on top of a mountain that made me glad we were in a sturdy vehicle.

Have you ever had a car accident in a rental car in California – or anywhere? This was a real lesson for me. I will not go into a lot of detail here, but the other car involved in the accident was a rental as well. When the three young women in the other vehicle (they were from France and just delightful despite the circumstances — Keith could not believe it later when I showed him the photos we took of each other after everything was settled, lol) did not know what to do any more than I did, I called 911 to have them send an officer out to document the incident. The 911 operator made it clear to me three times that the officer would not file a report. He was only coming out to make sure we traded the appropriate documents and information to follow up on repairs. We were in Redwood City, 20 minutes south of San Francisco. The police officer who came out was delightful and extremely helpful. The woman who rented the other car and I traded cellphone photos of our driver’s licenses and our rental agreements’ insurance portion documentation. My vehicle only had a scrape on a vinyl part of the side front bumper but their car, a Camaro, had a few dents. Everyone parted in good spirits and Hertz said they did not even consider what happened to our vehicle to be damage. Phew!

The road which made me happy we had a protective vehicle was the #2 Worst-Road-I’ve-Been-On-In-California (the first being the approach to Muir Woods north of San Francisco). Both roads were lacking in what I am used to on roads along breathtaking drop-offs — guardrails.

On this most recent trip, we were driving from our motel in Redwood City toward Pacific Coast Highway 1. Following my Wayz driving app, we missed the turn to Portola Road. The app directed us to take the next road — big mistake! I missed the name of the road at the time and the area was so remote that the road does not show on maps. Suffice it to say that this was a driveway in width! The one time we met a car coming the opposite direction, we had to hug the side of the mountain with the passenger side wheels in a ditch. Keith thought the experience was great and it was one of the most horrifying rides I’ve had in a long time.

Beach view from Pacific Coast HIgheay

San Francisco Bay Area By BART

San Francisco Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART) http://www.bart.gov/ is an inexpensive and efficient way to get around the city. The closest stop from the south is the Millbrae station so we parked there and headed up to the subway entrance where there were ticket machin

Waiting for the BART

es and an attendant to help if needed. One word of advice – On a past trip I used the BART system and always found the stations clean and tidy. However, be sure to make a restroom stop before you arrive at this station. The restrooms were barely usable. I’m sure they are not always that way, but I would never go in one of these again.

You can buy one-way or roundtrip tickets. We found that once you are in the system, you do not have to “top off” your ticket for low-level remaining fare to get back to your starting point..

By MUNI

San Francisco Bay Area’s Bus System (MUNI) is like most city’s above ground transport, but I enjoyed being able to purchase our tickets on their mobile app https://www.sfmta.com/getting-around/muni/fares/munimobile®. This made it very efficient. As parking is so expensive and elusive in the city, the BART and MUNI are great ways to get around if you know what your doing and plan ahead. The Presidio even has a free bus that runs until 8:00 p.m. to the Embarcadero BART station. That would have wrapped our recent trip up nicely except I insisted on walking from the bus drop off to Pier 39 to see the sea lions after dark. This necessitated an Uber ride back to Embarcadero. Live and learn.

Waiting for Uber at Pier 39

View from our downtown bus

Do you have any suggestions on getting around the San Francisco Bay Area? Anyone have suggestions from your experience taking the CalTrain? If so, I’m sure my readers would benefit from your experience. Please share your ideas in the comment section. Thanks!

]]>https://utcwithapaddle.com/2018/09/16/getting-around-in-the-san-francisco-bay-area/feed/0Stellar Dining at The Commissary on The Presideohttps://utcwithapaddle.com/2018/09/04/stellar-dining-at-the-commissary-on-the-presideo/
https://utcwithapaddle.com/2018/09/04/stellar-dining-at-the-commissary-on-the-presideo/#commentsTue, 04 Sep 2018 01:15:42 +0000https://utcwithapaddle.com/?p=632Our first glimpse of the Golden Gate Bridge was from an Uber we caught from Golden Gate Park to The Presidio. We got a taste of the architecture of this former military post and a view of the onsite San Francisco National Cemetery before we were dropped off at The Commissary with its Spanish-influenced cuisine and cocktails.

Offered by award-winning chef Traci Des Jardins, The Commissary offers seating in the kitchen where diners can interact with or just observe the restaurant’s talented chefs in action. My husband, Keith ordered the Close but No Cigar, a bourbon-based cocktail which featured the first taste of a smoke-infused drink that I had been hearing about that week. I was surprised that I liked it. I ordered the Toki Doki, which featured Japanese whiskey and Jamaican bitters with a dried/candied lemon peel. Both drinks were top notch.

For my appetizer I ordered cheese fritters with black truffle honey. Keith ordered Patatas Bravas with buttermilk aioli. Both were delicious. My entrée was Chicken Roulade with frisee, marcona almonds, dates and sherry. The kitchen worked its magic here as I would have never ordered this save for seeing the rolled, boneless chicken as it was taken from the oven and sliced three feet in front of us. Keith ordered the Alaskan Halibut with grilled squid, salsa verde, tomato and summer beans. There was more to my entrée and Keith would have ordered the chicken had he known this though he thoroughly enjoyed his seafood.

On to dessert (as if we needed it after what we had consumed already): we shared the Espresso Custard with hazelnut brittle, crème fraiche and cacao nibs. In front of us, one of the chefs prepared the Chocolate Chip Cookie and Vanilla Blueberry Ice Cream Sandwich topped with violets (pictured here). I would definitely order that next time!

I highly recommend The Commissary to anyone who wants a delicious and one-of-a-kind experience in San Francisco. And if you go on a Thursday, you may be lucky enough to hang out for Twilight Thursday on the lawn in front of the restaurant. With food trucks, fire pits, tented seating areas, large red rocking seats which the kids loved, food trucks and music, it is great enough. With the Golden Gate Bridge in the background, it is the experience of a lifetime.

See the Golden Gate Bridge in the background?

]]>https://utcwithapaddle.com/2018/09/04/stellar-dining-at-the-commissary-on-the-presideo/feed/24My 2018 Half Day in San Francisco — Golden Gate Parkhttps://utcwithapaddle.com/2018/09/01/my-2018-half-day-in-san-francisco-golden-gate-park/
https://utcwithapaddle.com/2018/09/01/my-2018-half-day-in-san-francisco-golden-gate-park/#commentsSat, 01 Sep 2018 21:44:29 +0000https://utcwithapaddle.com/?p=626After spending a few hours working virtually at Café Venetia in Palo Alto, CA, I picked Keith up from his conference at noon and we headed into San Francisco. We decided to drive our rental car to the closest BART subway station in Millbrae which was a 20- to 25-minute drive from our Redwood City hotel. After a some research, we decided to take the BART to the Daly City stop and catch bus #28 to get off at the N. Judah and 19th Avenue bus stop (you can buy your bus fare ahead on the MUNIMobile app). Our goal? Golden Gate Park.

This was my third trip to the city in the past ten years. Both times we went into the city to the piers (Pier 39 is my favorite because of the hundred of seal lions on the floating docks and second, because of the great seafood restaurants there.) On our two previous trips we took the Trolley down to the docks, shopped and checked out Ghiradelli Square. And last time, we ate in Chinatown. This time I wanted to do something completely different — visit Golden Gate Park and The Presidio.

First mistake: Once we exited our bus, we had a 45+ minute walk to the Beach Chalet with its onsite brewery, beer garden and upper floor fine dining with stunning views of the beach on the Pacific Ocean. We had drinks and the calamari appetizer which were delicious and afterwards browsed the 1930s WPA murals by artist Lucien Labaudt assisted by Arnold Bray, Farrell Dwyer, and the plaster, James Wyatt.

After the Beach Chalet, we crossed the street to traverse the deep expanse of sand to put my feet in the Pacific. (Keith was photographer at this point as he had no interest in taking his shoes off and getting in the water.) The curved wall embankment between sand and sidewalk were awash in beautiful graffiti. It was stunning to turn back from the seashore and see this artwork for the first time.

Once I reached the waves I took note of the washed-up jellyfish, the kelp bulbs (looked like lizards to me) and the cleanliness of the shoreline. There were amazing rocks just offshore, The Presidio in the distance and tons of surf

I was sad to walk back across the beach, put my shoes back on and meet our Uber, but I will take my memories of Golden Gate Park with me. Next time I will try to visit the windmills onsite (almost medieval in architecture). There is a flower conservatory, polo field and more in this 1017 acre park. Much to explore next time.

What do you like to do in San Francisco? I would love to add it to my bucket list!